Illegal Aliens from terrorist hub nations like Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran and Syria are using a loophole in American immigration policy to get asylum and remain in the U.S. after being caught by border officials.

The illegal aliens are taking a page from the playbook of Central American illegal aliens, particularly unaccompanied children and incomplete families, by claiming they have a “credible fear of prosecution,” according to a Fox News report by William La Jeunesse. Critics of the program claim these, what Customs and Border Protection officers call Special Interest Aliens (SIA), illegal aliens are taking advantage of a loophole in our immigration policies to avoid deportation after capture.

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By using the phrase “credible fear of persecution,” these SIAs can not only remain in the U.S., they are then entitled to work permits and are immediately released from custody.

Before 2009, La Jeunesse reported, many of the people seeking asylum at our borders were held in custody until they could make their case in an immigration court. President Obama changed that policy to allow for an immediate release of anyone claiming that “credible fear of persecution.”

Breitbart Texas has reported on many cases where illegal aliens from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have either been discovered trying to cross through ports of entry or have been captured inside the United States after crossing the border illegally.

In November 2015, Breitbart Texas’ managing director Brandon Darby and border security journalist Ildefonso Ortiz reported that 8 Syrian refugees had shown up at the international bridge in Laredo. Just a few days later, five more Syrians arrived at the same crossing.

The porous border clearly allows anyone from any country with any intention to enter the United States at will. Another example of this is the recent trend where thousands of Cuban refugees have made their way from Cuba to Central America, to Mexico to cross the border into South Texas.

The Obama Administration’s policy change came in 2014 when the Department of Homeland Security announced its “Priority Enforcement Program” (PEP). When the program was announced, Darby called the program “Catch and Release 2.0”

A source in the Border Patrol told Darby, “This is not how it was before. Border Patrol used to arrest, process, and turn the illegal alien over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the courts. Under this new program, the majority of illegal aliens will be released directly from the Border Patrol with no appointments or expectation that they ever have to show up for a hearing.”

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told La Jeunesse, “Do I believe they have a credible fear? In a small percentage, maybe. But the vast majority we arrest are telling our agents that they are coming because they know they will be released. That’s why they are coming.”

“President Obama said we need to take these people out of the shadows. The fact is we took them out, and now we are releasing them right back into the shadows. What was the point?” he told Fox News. “The court system is so backlogged, we’re told they are never going to see a judge anyway. So just let them go.”

“At least a NTA (Notice to Appear) required them to show up in court. What we have now is amnesty through policy,” Judd explained. “We are flat-out letting them go.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.